House Hunting
by TheNovelArtist
Summary: One would think that being a superhero and running over the rooftops of Paris countless times would provide a certain advantage when searching for a specific house, but a certain two superheroes would like to disagree
1. Chapter 1

"What about that one?"

Ladybug shook her head. "No. Not there."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like it."

Chat rolled his eyes.

"That one?"

"No way," Chat argued.

"Because you don't like it?"

"Are you mocking me now?"

She grinned. "Yes."

"You are cruel, my lady."

"It's out of love, chaton," she said, shifting slightly closer to wrap her arms around his neck.

He had to shift to accommodate that action.

"Is this uncomfortable, kitty?" she asked, referring to their precarious position perched high above the city on top Chat's baton while she was balanced on his leg.

"Only slightly," he admitted. "But we don't get a better view anywhere else."

Ladybug bit her tongue against any argument and went back to their current predicament. "I like over there," she said, pointing off into the night.

"I do, too, but ever notice that a lot of akumas run through there."

She scrunched her nose in thought. "I suppose you're right."

"Doesn't mean I'm not sorry about it."

"Maybe we can overlook the fact?" Ladybug tried.

Chat pursed his lips in thought. "Fine, we'll leave it on the list. At the bottom."

"Fair enough."

"There," Chat pointed out. "Central location."

"True as that is, there are only apartments there."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Shame."

"I know. But I think there's a similar neighborhood on the other side."

Chat looked out where Ladybug was pointing. "No. It's too uppity."

"Oh."

"How about that one?" Chat said, pointing out another neighborhood.

"No," Ladybug adamantly shook her head. "Not the best school district."

"Transfer?"

"Possible, but inconvenient."

Chat sighed. "Then I guess that leaves one last neighborhood."

Ladybug looked over where Chat was pointing. "Yes, but I know we were wanting to avoid that one because you wanted to put some distance between you and your father."

"I did," Chat admitted. "But your parents live on the other side of that neighborhood and I know that you would prefer being close to them. I wouldn't mind either."

Ladybug giggled. "That's because Papa adores you. You're like the son he never had."

"Isn't that a good thing, though? Since I'm going to marry his daughter?"

With her smile growing, she rested her hand on his jaw to pull his face closer to hers. "Yes, kitty," she said, pressing their foreheads together. "It's a very good thing."

"So, have we decided?" he asked quietly. "We're going to choose the neighborhood we both grew up in?"

"If you're all right with it, kitty. We'll just be sure to choose a house closer to my parents than to yours."

Chat hummed happily. "That sounds like a plan, princess."

"Perfect."

After sharing a kiss, Chat leaned forward, purposefully unbalancing them so as to start falling towards home. They landed effortlessly, a talent that came with years of practice, before the duo bounded off to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery's roof.

When they landed, Chat caught Ladybug's hand, stopping her before she could slip away to her room. "So tomorrow, are we going house hunting, then?"

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Tomorrow, come over and we'll search a bit on our own and decide what we want so we can tell the realtor what we're looking for. How about that?"

His hands settled at her waist. "Sounds good. Can I come over for breakfast?"

The shyness in his voice was adorable. "Yes, you can come over for breakfast. Maman will feed you well. You know she thinks you're too skinny."

"I'm not objecting to her feeding me."

Ladybug ran her hands up Chat's sides. "Frankly, neither am I."

He shivered at her touch, his grin growing. "So I'll see you tomorrow? Early?"

"Seven?"

"Will you be awake by then?"

Ladybug had to give him that. "Seven-thirty?"

Chat chuckled. "Ok. Just don't forget to set your alarm. Not that I'm opposed to waking you up, princess."

She wrapped her arms up around his neck. "Then come over at seven."

He shook his head. "Careful not to tempt me, love. We aren't wedded yet."

"Month and a half away."

His grin grew while his grip on her tightened. "I can't wait. I'm ready for our good-byes to become good-nights."

"I know. I want that, too. I'm ready to be together in our own house."

He pulled her closer, leaning down so their noses were touching. "So am I. I'm anxious to find a house to make our home."

"And raise a family in."

"And make a life in."

Their kiss spoke volumes in the silence.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

"I don't want to leave."

"I don't want you to leave."

Unfortunately, they each knew it wasn't possible.

"But it's late," Chat lamented. "I guess I'll have to say goodnight for now."

"I guess so," Ladybug reluctantly agreed. "I'll see you in the morning, then."

Another kiss. "Good night, Marinette," he whispered, stepping away from his bride-to-be.

"Sleep well, Adrien," she responded. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Seven-thirty sharp." He grinned. "Our house hunt awaits."

* * *

A/N: A while ago, I saw a screenshot from the episode Mime where Ladybug was sitting with Chat on top his baton and someone captioned it, " _It looks like they're house hunting."_ I couldn't resist. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

" _Mari~_ "

" _Noooo_ ," Marinette moaned, curling up under the covers.

But the sing-songy voice persisted. "Maaaariiiii."

"Go away," she mumbled, sticking her nose in her pillows.

"Not until you get up."

She groaned.

Then something nuzzled into her shoulder, hissing air against her neck in a way that made her shoot awake with a squeal.

With a glare, she turned to the laughter, only to see her fiancée laying on his back on her bed with his hands over his face.

That was when she realized. "House hunting."

"I told you to set your alarm, Princess," Adrien said, his laughter dying down. He removed his hands from his face and sat up to look at her. "Don't tell me you forgot."

"I didn't! I swear." She snatched her phone up, unlocking it and checking the alarm. "I set it for seven…"

She paused, staring at the phone for a while before rolling her eyes, tossing it aside, and falling back on her pillow. "PM."

This got Adrien to laugh once again. "Oh, Mari."

"I'm sorry!" she cried. "But I set the alarm with the intention."

Adrien shook his head, his blonde hair ruffling as he did. "I'll leave you to get dressed. I'll be waiting for you downstairs with my computer up so that we can look while you're eating breakfast, okay?"

She smiled, her eyes softening causing his to soften in return. "All right. I'll be down in ten."

With a smirk, he quirked a challenging brow at her. "Will you really?"

She shot him a pout and smacked his chest with the back of her hand.

He chuckled before relenting. "All right. See you in ten." He wrapped a hand behind her neck so he could pull her forward and press a kiss to the crown of her head before making his way out of her room.

The second her trap door was shut, she jumped from bed and rushed to her closet. As quickly as she could, she threw on something cute and pulled her hair into twin tails. She debated for a second about brushing her before deciding against it. She'd do so after she had breakfast and just be careful not to breathe on Adrien in the meantime. Besides, soon they'd be married, and it wasn't like they would always be able to avoid morning breath.

When she bounced down the stairs, she saw Adrien sitting at the breakfast table with the computer open while finishing up a croissant.

"What number is that?" Marinette asked, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and resting her chin on top his head.

He set down the pastry to grasp her hands. "Three."

Marinette giggled. "Are there any left for me?"

"If there isn't, I'll go down to the bakery to get some."

She rolled her eyes. "My hero."

He chuckled. "Your knight in shining black leather is at your service, Princess."

"Do princesses get to marry knights?" she challenged teasingly as she walked over to the kitchen counter in search of breakfast.

He paused, and Marinette smirked.

When she returned to the table with a pain au chocolate on her plate, he finally answered, "Only when they are actually princes in disguise."

"It's nice to know you can come back with a quick comeback."

He frowned. "What can I say? That I don't deserve you?" He leaned his chin on her shoulder, happily settling closer to her. "That you are too far above my meager ranking for me to do any more than admire from afar? Princesses _don't_ marry knights, yet I seem to have fallen madly in love with a wonderful princess. A woman that I do not deserve. And it is by some crazy sort of luck that I certainly don't possess that said princess has somehow fallen for me too. There are days I wonder if I'm even worthy of you."

Her heart fluttered before she pouted, her eyes slightly glassy. "Don't say that. You know that's not true," she countered. "Because you know that knights can earn the love of their lady, and a prince can win the heart of a princess. You're neither above nor below me but an equal blessing to me." She shifted so she could press a kiss to his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Adrien pulled away, a warm smile gracing his face. But it wasn't long before he leaned forward again, content to let his eyes drift shut as he rested his forehead against hers. Marinette sighed happily, relishing in the sweet silence.

Eventually, his hands found hers, giving them a comforting squeeze. "I suppose that if this prince wants to marry his princess," Adrien said, leaning away from her so as to lock gazes once again, "he better find a castle that she likes?"

With a growing grin, Marinette nodded.

Five minutes in, and just like last night, they once again stood at odds.

"I like the concept of this one," Adrien said.

"But the layout is impractical," Marinette countered through a mouth full of breakfast.

"It's quaint."

"For only so long before we start getting irritated with it."

Adrien just rolled his eyes as they moved on to the next one.

"See, this is much better." Marinette licked the chocolate of her fingers before pointing at the screen. "See how its open and flows?"

"But this has no separation whatsoever. It's a room with a kitchen in a corner."

Marinette just sighed.

They went through three more houses just like that before they found something that met in the middle. "Here," Marinette pointed out. "I like the layout of this one. It's open, but everything clearly has its own space."

"True as that is, it doesn't have enough rooms. You'll be short your studio."

"Two of the kids could share?" she weakly suggested.

"What if we have three of all one sex? Who gets to share?"

He had a point there. Marinette frowned at the screen in thought. "Then let's find something with an attic or a basement that we can take over as an office. It might be more practical to have our own designated floor than just a room. That way, you could have an office space in part of that room as well."

"Would you be willing to share your studio?"

"Of course, I would, as long as I had the space."

Adrien nodded as he turned back to the screen. "Then we'll only need the four bedrooms which will likely be easier to find than five."

"Precisely."

Adrien typed those new specifications into the search bar, along with adding the number of bedrooms they needed.

It narrowed the search significantly.

"This one," Adrien said.

"No. Layout issues."

"It's not as bad as the first one."

"But we still have other options."

And then the next one.

"I like this one," Marinette commented.

"But do you see the square footage? It's tiny."

"You do realize you grew up in a mansion, correct? That not all houses are going to be like yours?"

"Yes, but do _you_ realize that this is barely the size of your house?"

Marinette rolled her eyes.

"How about this one?"

Marinette looked at the house Adrien had up on the screen. She said nothing as he scrolled through the photos. She quickly scanned the stats of the house. "I like it."

"There's hesitation in your voice."

She bit her lip.

"Spit it out. What problem do you have with this one?"

"Well…" she clicked back a few photos to the one that had offended her. "That is about the ugliest kitchen I have _ever_ seen."

Adrien stared at the photo for a while. "It's nice to know you agree with that because I thought I was just being picky."

"You're not. This time, anyway."

Adrien rubbed his jaw in deliberation. "Remodeling?"

Marinette cringed. "It's an option, but do we really want to deal with that with everything else going on?"

"We could wait until after the wedding and once we've settled in," he suggested. "Something like that doesn't have to happen right away."

Marinette looked between him and the photos. "I'm just not sure if I want to live in a construction zone."

"I'm not exactly a fan of it either, but if it means the perfect house…"

Marinette couldn't disagree on that. "All right. So, we're willing to move into a house that needs a little work?"

"A little," Adrien agreed. "No walls removed or rooms added or anything major like that. I want a functioning house that may or may not need a little...facelift, if you will."

"Agreed." Marinette looked back to the house, clicking through the photos once again. "I really do like this one. It seems nice. Where's it at?"

Adrien took over once again to look at the address of the house along with the map. He froze. Her brow furrowing, she looked over, only to see what had caused Adrien's reaction.

The house was down the block from his father.

She patted Adrien's hand, looking back up at him with a sympathetic grin. "I'm sure there are other houses that we'll like that are a little farther away."

His lips quirked into a tense half-smile. "Honestly, I think it needs to be said that if it's between a perfect house close to my father or a good one close to your parents…"

"I know, kitty," she quickly assured, squeezing his hands. "We'll be certain to tell the realtor that is at the top of our list. Then the four bedrooms, the attic or basement, finally the preference for a no-work-necessary house. Does that sound about right?"

He gave her that sweet, loving grin that could melt her heart in a second. "That sounds right."

"Good." She patted his hand reassuringly. "You said you had a realtor in mind?"

He nodded. "Did you know Sabrina became one?"

Blankly, Marinette blinked up at him. "She did not."

Adrien chuckled, nodding all the while. "I got an earful from Chloe one day on that one because someone was disappointed that she couldn't have her right-hand-woman at her side all the time."

"Does Chloe even have a job? Or is she just going to marry some rich man who pampers her all the time?"

"She invests," Adrien offered.

"But she's still trying to find some rich socialite, isn't she?"

Adrien cringed, shrugging.

Marinette rolled her eyes, the smile on her face proving she was surrendering. "If it's working for her, then so be it."

"From what I can tell, it is. Mr. Bourgeois was saying how proud he was of Chloe during the last dinner father and I attended."

Marinette cringed. "I'm sorry I missed it."

Adrien snorted amusedly. "No, you're not."

"Then I'll rephrase," she corrected. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there to save you from such a boring evening."

Adrien chuckled. "Apology accepted, under the condition…"

Grinning knowingly, Marinette waited for his catch.

"I get a kiss."

Slowly, her grin widened enough for her eyes to sparkle. It was habit that she licked her bottom lip, but that's when she tasted the chocolate. Her expression turned teasing when she licked the chocolate from her lips, and her suspicions were confirmed when Adrien's expression wavered slightly.

"If you wanted some chocolate, you could have said something," Marinette teased, leaning forward so their noses were close.

"Yes, but you are so much sweeter."

"And you," she said, reaching up to tap her index finger against the tip of his nose, "are a terrible flirt."

"But I only flirt with _you_ , bugaboo," he said, mimicking her action.

"Remind me why I put up with you, again?"

With a sly smirk, he stole a long, chaste kiss from her lips.

 _Oh, right,_ she thought to herself through the wonderful haze of emotions, _that's why._


	3. Chapter 3

Two days later, Marinette and Adrien were following Sabrina around the few houses that she had found.

"You have a tall order," she had explained. "This was the best I can do for now. If you wanted to expand the area, then I'll be happy to search for more houses. There was a really nice one in a different neighborhood."

"Let's just see these houses," Marinette had said. "Then we'll consider what to do."

Sabrina just gave them a hopeful smile.

Of course, that was before she left them disheartened.

Four houses: that was all she had found that fit their criteria. And for the first time, Marinette and Adrien were on the same page regarding every single house.

"No."

So, disappointed, Marinette and Adrien retreated back to the bakery where Sabine had kindly made them lunch.

"No luck?" she inquired.

"Unfortunately."

Sabine gave them a sympathetic look. "I know you two want a place to go right as your married, but these things take time."

"And we did get a bit of a late start on it," Marinette reluctantly admitted.

Adrien didn't want to agree, but there was no denying it. Instead, he took a bite of the meal to avoid saying a word.

Marinette noticed, though, if the way she rested a hand on his knee under the table was any indication.

"I'm sure you'll find the right house," Sabine said. "But maybe not until after your wedding."

Marinette gave an absent nod before her mother walked off.

Adrien sighed, mentally kicking himself in a way he was sadly accustomed to doing. "We should have started sooner."

"How were we to know?" Marinette softly countered. "We were busy with planning the wedding, anyway."

Adrien shrugged. "I just…" He reached over to grab her hand and looked her straight in the eyes. "I just want to be able to take you _home_ after the wedding."

Marinette's heart softened, and she gave his hand a squeeze. "I know, but home is _you,_ kitty. It doesn't matter to me if we have to spend some time in your apartment while we search for a house."

"It matters to me," Adrien quietly admitted.

"Why?" Marinette gently asked. "I don't care if we have to live somewhere while we find our perfect house. Most couples do that, you know."

"But we aren't most couples," Adrien argued. "And you deserve so much better. You deserve for me to take you to our own special place after the wedding. You deserve to be taken care of."

Marinette gave him a soft smile. "Adrien, you _are_ taking care of me. So what is this really about?"

Adrien's cheeks took on a pink hue while his green gaze hit the table. "Maybe…" he started, covering their interlocked hands with his free one. "Maybe I don't want our wedding night to be in a hotel suite, or my 'bachelor pad', as Nino calls it. Maybe I want to take you to a place that's _ours._ Not yours or mine or some place we'll never see again." His cheeks remained pink as he found the courage to meet her gaze once again. "Maybe I want to hide you away somewhere sacred and safe for that night, and frankly, every night after."

Marinette knew that her cheeks were likely matching his in hue. "Kitty," she said, her voice soft. She raised a hand to cover his. "That night will be sacred for no other reason than it is _ours._ "

He gave her a half-smile. "I can dream, can't I?"

She returned a warm smile of her own. "That you can."

That half-smile widened to a whole one as he leaned over, his eyes locked on her lips.

She wouldn't resist. Leaning forward, her eyes drifted shut just as their lips collided in something soft and tender, sweet and slow.

And interrupted by Adrien's phone going off.

Marinette mourned the loss of his kiss, but was intrigued when Adrien showed her the caller ID.

Sabrina.

And that was how, nearly an hour later, they found themselves standing in front of an admittedly very quaint house. The best part was that it was just a block away from Marinette's parents.

"Like I said over the phone," Sabrina said, pulling the key from the lockbox, "this house only has three bedrooms, however, the attic has a lot of potential."

Curious, Adrien and Marinette entered the house. Sabrina pointed to the box of blue shoe covers. Adrien took a pair to slip on while Marinette simply left her flats by the door.

As they walked through, they pointed out the things they did or didn't like. However, they quickly realized the things they disliked were all superficial: paint, tile, flooring. Nothing that they couldn't tolerate until it was fixed, and nothing that wouldn't be too horribly insufferable to change.

However…

"No matter how nice and spacious these rooms are," Marinette commented, "there are only three."

"That's the beauty of the attic," Sabrina said, waving her hands in an attempt to be mysterious. A giddy look returning to her face, she waved them onwards to the flight of stairs at the end of the second-story hallway that led upwards.

Though hesitant, Marinette and Adrien followed. Only to gape at the huge, albeit unfinished, attic.

"I know," Sabrina commented in a way that was scarily similar to Chloe. "The attic used to be a loft of sorts, but the previous owners discovered mold growing up here, so they ripped everything out, had it cleaned and never got the chance to remodel it. But, this place is huge. It's enough to split apart for two bedrooms. And since the stairs here are in the middle of the space, you have a definite split between the two rooms. They won't even have to share a wall. Or, you can have one bedroom here and have your office space just open on the other side. Or…you can think of some other way to organize it. But it's unused space with plenty of potential."

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a look before surveying the attic in an attempt to visualize it.

It wouldn't be for a long moment that Marinette would say, "that…could work."

Adrien slowly nodded in agreement. "It could. I'd say having the two bedrooms up here would be the best idea, then taking an office down on the second floor."

Sabrina pulled out a tape measure, allowing them to use it so as to measure out the space and divide it up like a cake.

"They'd be the same size as the bedrooms below," Marinette said, allowing the tape measure to roll back up with a _snap._ "A bit bigger, actually."

"And then at the end of the hall between the two rooms," Adrien added, "where there's extra space, could be a linen closet of sorts. Maybe a special rack to hang your fabric bolts so they aren't cluttering up the office downstairs."

Marinette nodded her agreement. "I like that. I also like that the kids will be upstairs for the most part. It will be their own space."

"So," Sabrina broke in, "I take it this house is promising?"

Adrien and Marinette shared a glance, and once again, they grinned as they realized they were on the same page. "Yes."

"Let's give it one last look," Adrien suggested. "I really want to take everything in."

Marinette easily relented. They spent another twenty minutes in the house, going through everything, debating even the smallest of details.

"We're sorry, Sabrina," Marinette eventually said. "We didn't mean to completely ignore you."

"Oh! No, no. No problem!" she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "I actually spent the time making a couple phone calls. You guys seemed very interested in this house, and I know from Chloe that you guys want to move before the wedding. You guys are cutting it close, by the way."

Adrien and Marinette cringed. "We know," Adrien admitted. "It's kind of last second, and we're likely setting our hopes too high, but you can't blame us for trying."

Sabrina's grin grew. "Which is why I made the call. Are you two seriously considering the house?"

The duo shared a look, one the held an entire conversation in the span of a few seconds.

"Actually," Marinette started, getting a large grin of confirmation from Adrien, "I think we want to put in an offer on this one."

Sabrina's eyes widened. "I knew it!" she cheered. "Well, then you're definitely going to like this news. As long as you keep quiet."

"Promise," Adrien said. "We're _really good_ at keeping secrets."

Marinette just nodded, biting her lip to contain her laughter.

"So," Sabrina started, "this house is on the market as a result of a divorce. They want it sold quickly so they can each take their half and part ways as quickly as possible. You come in with a good bid and an all-cash offer, they'll likely want to close as quick as they can. And I promise you, I'll make sure this is done as fast and painlessly as possible."

Marinette's eyes widened, matching Adrien's surprise.

"So," Sabrina said, smirk on her face as she waved her phone in the air. "One word, and I'll put in your offer."

The couple shared one last look, one very familiar to both of them. One they'd shoot each other before launching a plan in the middle of a battle or starting a race during their patrol, and the look Adrien gave Marinette when he had proposed.

 _Are you ready?_

They turned back to Sabrina, wearing matching grins and stealing confidence from each other with the way they squeezed each other's hand. "Do it."


End file.
